Board Oks Pact To Put Tricounty Train In Motion

An agreement with CSX Transportation approved Friday by the Tricounty Commuter Rail Organization is expected to allow the Miami-to-West Palm Beach train to start operations in July 1988.

``It`s a major milestone,`` said Bill Miller, deputy assistant secretary for operations for the state Department of Transportation. ``This railroad is going to happen now.``

The agreement calls for the state to pay CSX $10 million over five years for track rental and improvements. It calls for $6 million in track improvements, an additional $700,000 for use of stations and an average of $670,000 per year for track rental.

The money is substantially more than officials had anticipated paying. The state originally had offered to pay $3 million in track improvements and $360,000 per year in track rental.

In addition, the pact calls for the state to pay $1.6 million annually for liability insurance.

But rail board Chairman Ed Kennedy said, ``This was the dest deal that could have been gotten under the circumstances.``

In all, the project will cost $100 million over the five-year period. About $60 million is already on hand for capital expenses.

The vote Friday was necessary for officials to contract to purchase locomotives for use on the rail project. They must be ordered within the next week in order to be rehabilitated and delivered in time for the July 1988 start-up. A low bid of $4.7 million from Morrison Knudson of Idaho is expected to be approved.

The rail board, which includes representatives from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, voted unanimously to approve the track use contract even though Palm Beach County representative Ken Adams voiced strong reservations over the five-year length of the contract.

He said he questioned the wisdom of spending $30 million on capital improvements with no guarantee the project will last longer than five years.

But Miller said that was the only way CSX would agree on a lower rental fee. Besides, he said the situation could change within two months if, as is expected, CSX sells the rail corridor. The state could be the buyer, Miller said.

Officials must still hammer out an operations agreement with Amtrak, but project consultant Richard Howell of DeLeuw Cather and Co. told the board, ``It looks like we`ve reached an understanding.``

The understanding calls for Amtrak to be paid $5.1 million per year.

The board also voted Friday on the first 10 stations to be included under the project. They will be: West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Hillsboro Beach, Cypress Creek, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Golden Glades and Hialeah.

Additional stations for the future would be at Palm Beach International Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Lake Worth, Pompano Beach and Miami International Airport.